Apparatus for condensing gas under high pressure.



G. L. & J. J; CABOT. APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING GAS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE.APPLICATION FILED 0CT.26.1914.

1,23%5,574 ;0 Patented May 8, 191?.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A w a H T: A i

W s M E muewkwo ww z UwZoZ G. L. & J. J. CABOT.

APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING GAS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-26. 19M.

Patented May 8, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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WMWO 2% I I"! G. L. & J. J. CABOT.

APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING GAS UNDER HIGH PRESSURE.

APPLICATION FILED 00112614914.

Patented May 8, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 mwm nun STATEg rnrnn'r @FJFTGE.

APPARATUS FOR CONDENSING GAS UNDER HIGH PRESMIRE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Gonrnnr L. GABor and JAMES J. CABo'r, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Sufiolk andState of Massachusetts, have invented certainnewand usefulllmprove mentsin Apparatus for Condensing Gas will be. very Under Hi h Pressure; andwe do declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use. the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in an apparatusfor condensing gas but particularly natural gas under high pressure andthe primary ob ect of the invention is to provide an apparatus of thischaracter which provides for the free and rapid flow or the liquefiedgas and at the which similar reference characters designate same timepermits the ready escape oi the unliquefied gas.

Still another object of the invention resides in providing animproved-pooling or Still another object resides in providing a laggingfor the various pipes and receptacles containing the liquefied gas, suchlagging being of a non-conducting material and preferablynon-combustible, whereby to retain the as within the pipes andreceptacles at a pre etermined freezing temperature;

Still another object of the invention resides in providing a devicewhich is simple and durable in construction, comparatively inexpensiveto manuf 'ture and one which efii'cient, and useful in operat on. In theaccompanying drawings forming a 5' part of this application;

Figure ratus constructed in accordance with our in-- vention, partsbeing broken away and parts being disclosed in section;

- Fig; 2 is aplan view thereotg Specification of Letters Patent.

1 is aside elevation of an appav Patented May 8, M917.

Application filed oetober as, 191a. Serial to. 868,680.

' Fig. 4 is a transverse section as seen on line 4-4: ofFig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section: through the .water cooled chamber and sideview of the worm therein;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a slightly modified form of the invention;

lgig. '2' is a detail section therethroughg an 1 Fig. 8 is a detail planview of the same.

1 It is a well known fact that gas can only exist in a liquid stateeither'by reason of in tense cold or of being placed under greatpressure, or both and in carrying out our invention we prefer to utilizeboth the cooling and pressure systems. In describing the invention weshall refer to the drawings in chamber 5 which is provided for thepurpose of equalizing the pressure of the gas in view of a gascompressor 6 which has connection with this chamber or reservoir bymeans of a pipe 7. This compressor 6 is of the three stage type and isactuated by means of a gas engine 8. I

Arranged just beyond the engine 8 is a cooling chamber or tank 9 towhich water is supplied by means of apipe -10 leading from a centrifugalpump 11. The connection between this pipe and the cooler or chamber 9 isat the lower end of the latter and said pipe 10 continues onward andcommunicates with the water jacket of'the engine 8 for supplying waterto the'latt'er. Drain pipes 12 lead from the upper portion of thechamher or tank 9 and the water jacket of the engine 8 so that theheated water therein under very high pressure to the tank or chamber 9wherein said pipe 13 connects with a coil 14 extending the full heightof said member 9. It will be noted that the gas under pressure enteringthe cooling chamber 9 enters from the upper portion of the latter and isdirected downwardly toward the lower end thereof while the coolingmedium, water, enters from the lower end of said chamber 9 and risesupwardly therethrough', being drained therefrom by the pipe 12 whichleads from the upper end of said chamber. It is obvious with thischamber 16, the lower end of the latter con-.

necting with a metallic receptacle or chamber 18. This latter chamber1s, as indicated before, the liquefying chamber and this.

liquefyi'ng process is effected through the medium of escapingunliquefied gas, pr gas which cannot be liquefied. This gas is permittedto escape from the chamber 18 through a valve 19 which is arranged atthe upper portion of said receptacle or chamber 18 adjacent to one endthereof. The valve is pro vided with a manually operable means 20 whichprojects through the wall of the chamber 16 to be conveniently operated.

This escaping gas is adapted to travel upwardly through the chamber 16and tends to cool the gas in the coil 17 thus tending to liquefy suchgases therein as are not yet liquefied and retaining the gases which arein a liquid state at a low temperature.

As will be seen from the drawings the compressed gas enters thisreceptacle 16 from the top thereof traveling through the bottom of thesame before it makes its exit therefrom but the escaping unliquefied gaswhich is used as a cooling medium to aid in the liquefaction tends torise upwardly'in said chamber. In order to force the escaping gas topursue a course of great length through this chamber 16, the latter isprovided with a plurality of horizontal division walls 21 between eachpair 'of which is re-' ceived a twist or section of the coil 17. Eachdivision wall is provided with an opening at one end thereof, theadjacent walls having their openings at opposite ends so that theescaping gases are caused to travel from one side to the other of thechamber in the space between each pair of division walls thus taking acourse following the coil 17.

These escaping gases, therefore, while following the course of the coil17 tends. to

cool every twist or section of the latter, the

advantage of which is obvious. The gases when reaching the top of thechamber 16 find an exit through an outlet port which communicates with apipe section 22 the latter leading the gases to other devices (notshown) so that the same may be used for various purposes' In order toretain the chamber at a low temperature to prevent absorption of theheat, this chamber 16 is coveredwith a very thick layer of magnesia.lagging or other non-conductor of heat which is non-combustible. Leadingthrough the lower Wall of the chamber 16 is an outlet pipe 23 for theliquefied gas, the same communicating with the chamber or tank .18 andbeing also covered with the lagging. At the outer end of this pipe 23 isa valve 24 which controls the flow of the liquid through the device.Especially prepared receptacles for containing the liquefied gas fortransportation pur; poses may be connected directly to this pipesection23, if desired. When it is desired to transport the liquefied gas insmall quantities such receptacles are filled directly from this pipesection 23. When, however, it' is desired to fil the receptacles withthe liquid to be transported in large quantities, a branch pipe section25 is utilized. This branch pipe section connects with the pipe section23 and leads to some remote point. This pipe section 25 is also coveredwith 26 and in this connection it is to be 'noted that all pipingexposed to the outside atmosphere and used'for the purpose of conveyingthe gag to be liquefied may, if necessary, be protected by suitable heatinsulating material as will be readily understood.

As the cooled gas enters the chamber 16 and passes through the coil 17and the tank or chamber 18, a portion of the gas is liquefied, theremaining portion passing out heavy lagging and is provided with a valvethrough the expansion valve '19 into thechamber 16 .where it expands atonce from several hundred pounds a square inch to a pound or' soaboveatmospheric pressure. expansion reduces the temperature of gasbelow the liquefying pointof ethane (C H and the higher hydro-carbonssuch as propane (C H butane. (O H etc. This cold gas which is chieflymethane (CH,), the other hydro-carbons having been condensed out, is ledback andforth outside of the coil-17 and thus cools the gas inside ofsaid coil, to a very low temperature. In

1 this mannerthe hydro-carbons, other than the methane, are condensedout and collected in the chamber or tank 18. A portion of the methane isdissolved in the liquefied gases while theotherportion, after'beingutilized as the cooling medium in: the chammasses ber 16, passes out.therefrom through the pipe'22 to be again utilized for various otherpurposes, such as lighting, heating,

gas inside of said coil.

gas within the coil utilizes practically all of 1 the coldness of thecooling medium which in etc. This liquefying process utilizes, asmentioned before the principle of reverse stream inasmuch as the coolingmedium (the surplus methane gas) passes outside of the coil in exactlythe opposite direction from the In this manner the -fied vform of theinvention wherein a gas engine 27 is employed to operate a gascompressor 28 the latter receiving gas through .an inlet pipe 29. Thegas after being-compressed is .driven through a pair of coolers 30'and31 respectively whichare arranged "in spaced relation to one another andare provided ,with the usual coils. Thesecoils "receive thecoolingmedium, water, from water inlet pipes 32 which communicate with apump 33.

Leading from the cooling chamber 31 is conducting pipe 34 which conductscool .5 under high pressure to a gas cooled chamber 35 disposed somedistance from the chamber 31. The method of cooling this chamber 35 willbe hereinafter and more particularly' set forth but arranged therein isa coil 38 which connects at its-upper end with the pipe 34 leadingthrough'the wall of said chamber. Communicating with the lower end-oithe coil 36 is a conducting pipe 3? which leads through the oppositewall of the chamber 35 and continues on to project'through the upper endor. an additional air cooled chamber, 38. This pipe then con nects withan additional coil 39 arranged [within the last mentioned chamber, thelast mentioned coil at its lower end communicating with a tankonchamberdO similar to thetank or chamber 18' described in connection withthe first mentioned formof the invention. Leading from this tank orchamber 40 is a pipe section 41 which extends through the wall of thechamber 38 'and fhform and itwillbe seen that this gasentening thelower-portion of said chamber'35' will'rise to the upper portion thereofto escapethrough a port 4:3. ;This chamber 35,

projects through the bottom wall of thechamber 35 to communicate withthe interior of the latter. expansion, valve mem-.

ber 42 is provided the-pipe section dlto enable the unliquefiedgas'esto'escape was,

interior 'ofthe chamber 35. This'is similar 8 to the escape ofthennliquefi'ed gas referred to in connection with. the first mentionedhowever, constructed similar to the chsacrificing any of. the prin ber16 in the first'mentioned form so that this unliquefied gas travels backand forth, following the outline of the coil 36 to thoroughly cool thecontents ofthe latter. The gas after being utilized as a cooling mediumin the chamber 35 makes its exit through the port 43 to be utilizedagain for various other purposes.

Connected with the tank or chamber-40 is an'outlet pipe 44 which leadsthrough the bottom of the chamber 38 to permit the liquefied gas to bebottled or tanked for transportation purposes.

As stated above, the chamber 38 is air cooled so that in theliquefaction process,

- a double cooled system is employed, one a gas and the other an aircooled system. Tn cooling this chamber 38, an air compressor 45 isemployed the same being actuated by means or a gas engine 4:6. The aircompressed is conducted through a pair of cooling members 47 and 48respectively, the latter being cooled by water pumped from the member33. The cooled air under heavy pressure is conducted from the cooler.

48 through a pipe section d9v which leads through the bottom of thechamber 38. An 7 air expansion valve 50 is provided in connection withthe pipe section 49 and the air expanding within the chamber 38 tends tocool the coil 39 therein. This chamber 38 is constructed similar to thechamber 35 so that the cooled air under pressure therein ing air throughthe port 5i may be utilized for other purposes.

From. the foregoing description of our improved apparatus, the manner ofapplying thesame to use and the operation thereof will be readilyunderstood and it will be seen that we have provided a simple,inexpensive and ethcient meanstor carrying out i the objects of theinvention, and one which may efiectively be used in the production ofliquid air, as will be readily understood.

. All previous commercial attempts have been based on the utilization ofportions of gas to liquefy the rest.

While we have particularly described the elements best adapted toperform'the functions set forth, it is obvious that various changesinform, proportion, and in the minor details of construction may be re-'sorted to, within the scope of the appended claim, without departingfromthe spirit or ciples of the invention. 7,

.Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

llllh act .Adevice of the class described "comprise, I

ing .aclosed heat insulated chamber-havin I a {zig-zag passage extendingtherethrougb from its upper to its lower end, said p l i being providedwith an outlet elm its upper end, a coil of pipes arranged within saidchamber and having its turn following the course of said passage andbeing provided with an inlet at its upper end, a horizontally extendingclosed collect ng tank 31E- ranged in the lower end of said er, one ofthe ends of said tank being commented to the lower end of said coil, anonfilel; at the other end of said exfien through said chamber to theexfierior thereof, and an expansion velve fixed to like upper side ofsaid tank at its opposifie end thereof to provide an exit for thegeses'eollected in the upper portion of line same,

meeeem eoDFREY L. CABOT. is J. GABOT.

Witnesses to Godfrey Gabots Wimesses ii James J. fiahots si: I

How Wnmo, l1. W.

